


Shiver

by PhoenixPixie23



Series: Gone Native Collection [3]
Category: The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Aliens, Angst, F/M, Gen, Romance, Souls, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2013-02-04
Packaged: 2017-11-28 05:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixPixie23/pseuds/PhoenixPixie23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because unrequited love sucks.  Meet Rob and Rachel before they met Burns and Nate, and learn what life was like for them before aliens took over the world.  Shiver, by Coldplay, is the source of the title of the story. SM owns The Host.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love At First Sight

**Author's Note:**

> The song "Love at First Sight" by Blue is the source of the title for the first chapter

It was one of those at-first-sight things. At least for me. Not for her. Definitely not for her. I remember the moment perfectly. She was sitting on a bench, clutching her light coat around her, her long, dark hair tangling in the wind. She was so focused on the children playing on the decorative rocks nearby that she didn't even see the homeless man who nearly fell into her lap.

He shouted angrily at her in aggressive-sounding German, presumably blaming her for being in the way. As if it were her fault. She was shrinking away from him on the bench, as if she anticipated him to physically assault her.

My feet carried me toward her automatically, and before I knew what I was doing, I was between the two of them, telling the man, whose name I knew to be Josef, off.

"Leave the lady alone." I put every ounce of military intimidation I had into the command, making sure the German knew that not only was she off limits now, she was off limits forever.

The German and I had rarely spoken, but rumors of my reputation were already well known and respected around these parts so he turned and walked away angrily without another word. When I turned back to her, she was watching me with big eyes. Brown eyes. Beautiful eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, relaxing my military voice into what I hoped came out sounding like a gentle question.

She didn't speak, only nodded slightly and averted her eyes. I debated leaving her to her thoughts, of course I would keep watch from a distance, but as I watched her wring her hands in anxiety my Mama's training came through and I decided to stick around until she was comfortable.

I indicated toward the empty space on the bench beside her.

"May I?"

Again she wordlessly nodded, and I sat myself down next to her and held out my hand.

"I'm Rob. I'm so sorry that guy was such a blockhead. Some of us never grow out of it."

After a slight hesitation, she stopped her fretting and looked up at me. She grasped my brown hand with her soft caramel colored one, and in the brief moment of contact, I noticed a slight tremor. She was terrified. Had this happened before, to make her so scared?

"Rachel." She said softly. After another hesitation, she softly added: "Thank you."

We stared at each other for a moment until the SLAM! of a door nearby startled both of us. Having just exited a nearby basement level jewelry shop, an older woman with a clear family resemblance to Rachel marched right up to us, giving me a glare.

"Racheal. para de ablar con ese hombre! Vamonos, ahorita mismo! Tu saves mas bien de asiendo eso!"

Rachel sprang up immediately and followed the woman, who must have been her mother, glancing back at me with a shy apologetic smile.

I watched them until they disappeared around the corner before I entered the store that the old woman had just come out of.

"Hey Marcelo, what do you know about that lady who was just in here?"

Marcelo was a big man with a toothy smile. Argentinean, he had moved into Boulder a few years before to expand his family jewelry business. He was talkative. Loud. Knew everything about everyone. He was the perfect man to get information out of. We'd been friends since I had arrived on Pearl Street a few weeks ago, and I often did odd jobs for him.

"You mean Maria?" He asked, with a raised brow.

"Yeah. Well, maybe. Does she have a daughter named Rachel?

He nodded his head in confirmation, "She's crazy. Doesn't trust a soul and drives a hard bargain. Her jewelry is a big seller though, so I put up with her. Plus, it's nice to have a proper conversation in Spanish every now and again."

I nodded. My first impression of her, though quickly gathered, had been a correct one.

"And the daughter? Rachel?"

Marcelo let out a deep belly laugh, "Usually shy as a mouse, that one, but get her away from Maria for a few minutes and she relaxes. She's incredibly intelligent, though I don't think Maria understands that. She knows how much I owe them, tax included, before I even ring it up. She also knows every regular on the street, but she's probably never talked to a single one of them."

"A people watcher, then." I mused. I was intrigued.

"Definitely." He paused and gave me an appraising look, "She is also very beautiful, no? Like a damsel in distress."

I rolled my eyes very obviously at him. He did not need to tell me something that I already knew. Anyone with eyes could see how beautiful she was. The image of her eyes and skin and hair was burned in my head forever, and I already felt the need to protect her from the world and all its angry German men. My reaction delighted him, and he laughed again, harder.

"It'll be tough getting to know her with Maria around."

"I'll figure out a way. Put in a good word for me?"

"Sure," he snickered, "they'll be back tomorrow around this time."

I shook his hand and exited the shop. A few minutes later I was resting comfortably on a bench along the outdoor mall, watching one of the street performers fold himself into a box.

The seat beside me was soon filled with a bear of a man, a regular around these parts.

"How's it goin, Rob?" The big man asked me.

"I'm pretty good, AJ, how are you?"

"Can't complain."

I nodded. AJ probably had every right to complain, but he was a man of few words. He lived here, alternating between the homeless shelter and Pearl Street depending on the season, and had for most of the last year. Like me, he was recovering from a few tours in the Middle East and as a result was too much of an alcoholic to hold a job. I felt for him—PTSD could be just as tough to fight as al Qaeda.

Though I was tempted, I tried not to drown my troubles in alcohol. When I returned from my last tour, I sublet my apartment, sold all my belongings that did not fit in my duffle, and started walking. In the last three years I'd walked across the entire country twice, once via the south and once via the north. Now I was going right down the middle, which, with winter approaching, may not have been my smartest move.

I spent a few weeks here and a few weeks there, never staying in one place for long. Whenever I got restless, I would move along. Walking was good therapy, and I appreciated the beauty of the country I had fought for more than ever. I could appreciate other kinds of beauty too though, particularly ones that had big brown eyes and soft hair and caramel skin.

The street performance was over and I stood, giving AJ a slap on the shoulder as I did so.

"Nice talking to you, buddy, let me know if you want me to tell some of the store owners to send some work your way." AJ nodded and the two of us went our separate ways.

Since I was done with all my odd jobs for the day, I walked down to Broadway, a street that intersected Pearl, and caught the SKIP bus north. Fifteen minutes later I was at The Boulder Homeless Shelter. I nodded at a few guys I knew who were waiting to get in, and made small talk with a few others, discussing the weather and avoiding mentioning our time overseas—about a quarter of the men in this shelter had served our country in one way or another. As I talked, I smiled and waved at the two or three families with young kids that were running around the parking lot. There were not many families at this shelter—most children and their parents ended up at one of the three Safehouses in town. There were so many more homeless children and families than single adults that the Safehouses were always at capacity, leaving individuals and a few families to fill up this shelter on the outskirts of town. It was early September, so the size of the crowd was increasing as the nights got colder. At 5 PM the doors opened and we all filed in. Soon we had all gone through the line, getting hot food, cool drinks, and a generous dose of kindness.

After dinner I pulled out my well-used deck of cards and the boys and I played Hearts. We used to play poker, but one of our regulars was a recovering gambler, and all of us understood his request to switch games. Not all the men here were struggling with addictions—in fact, most were not, the economy just sucked—but those that were, were treated with dignity and respect, at least by the other residents. There was a sense of family and cooperation in our little community, and we all encouraged the drug abusers, alcoholics, gamblers, and mentally ill residents. We knew what it was like for life to turn out differently than you planned.

After a few rounds, our group split up, some of us wandering over to the TV to watch the evening news, others to the media area to work on the computers, perfecting resumes and browsing Facebook. We all turned in early, and soon the dorm was filled with snores.


	2. Invisible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from the song "Invisible" by Taylor Swift

Mama scolded me as we walked back to the car. Talking to strange men was off limits. I nodded and "uhuh'd" in all the right places, but my mind was on the man I had left sitting on the bench outside Marcelo's.

He was strong and tough, but his eyes were soft and kind. I had spent the last few years avoiding all contact with the men who prowled Pearl Street because they frightened me, but I could already tell Rob was different. Rob would not yell at me or hit me. I had only talked to him for five minutes and I already knew that.

I unlocked the car and Mama got into the passenger seat. Carefully I navigated through the busy downtown streets of Boulder and headed toward our apartment. It was a few miles away, in the poorest area of town, but it was home. Mama was silent during the car ride, which was unusual, especially after she had seen me talking with Rob. I did nothing to break the silence—I had a lot on my mind.

Our studio apartment was small, but Mama and I didn't need much. As soon as we arrived, Mama settled into the overstuffed chair in the corner and began to work on the intricate task of fashioning wire and beads into bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. I prepared a simple meal of posole. When it was ready, Mama put her work aside and came to our small table where we ate together in silence.

Something weird must have happened for Mama to be so quiet. I decided not to question it and simply enjoy it, so after dinner, I washed the dishes and curled up on my bed with my newest book—a biography about Winston Churchill. Mama returned to her work.

At precisely 9 PM, Mama turned off her lamp and I knew that it was time for bed. She changed, brushed her teeth, and then crawled into her bed that was next to mine. I did the same, crawling under the covers and closing my eyes. Images of Robs face flashed in my head. For a split second, I wondered if he might be the one I had been waiting for, but I pushed the thought away quickly. Mama did not approve of me dating, and Rob was probably not interested anyway.

The next morning we rose early and made our way back to Pearl Street. Mama dropped off a special order for Marcelo while I walked around the room, admiring all the beautiful and expensive jewelry that I wanted but knew would never be mine. My daydreams were interrupted when Marcelo shouted at me.

Marcelo was always loud, so I knew that his shout was not an angry one. I walked up to him and returned his smile. He was an easy person to talk to.

"So I hear you met my man Rob yesterday." He gave me a smile and I forced myself not to give any indication of how curious I was about him. Mama was watching. Marcelo must have noticed my interest though, because he kept on talking without giving me a chance to comment.

"Yeah, he's a good man, that Rob. Served in the military and now he's travelling across the country. He's been everywhere, seen a little bit of everything. Really great guy. Sticks up for the homeless guys out there, tries to get them odd jobs. You won't find many men better than him."

I nodded as I turned my face away from Mama to hide my blush, she would not approve of my interest in Rob.

"I think he's going to stick around here for a while though," Marcelo continued. That comment made my head snap around toward him, and he smiled at my reaction.

"He met a girl."

My heart sank and I scolded myself for being so interested and disappointed. I had only met the man once! Of course Rob would never pick me, nothing about me was special, and hundreds of beautiful women passed by here everyday. He was good looking enough to have any of them that he wanted.

So I kept my face neutral and said, "good for him, I hope she makes him happy."

I continued my perusal of the shop, but I was not seeing the jewelry in the display case, rather I was seeing Rob's kind eyes as they stared into mine. Taking a deep breath, I locked my unwanted feelings for Rob away in a tightly sealed box inside my heart and prepared myself to act normal around him.

I probably would not have to see him very much if he had a girl he was pursuing. She was probably smart and brave and beautiful and kind. Blonde and curvy with blue eyes. He probably took her on dates and kissed her cheek and held her hand. I could picture the two of them in my mind, Rob and his girl. No one could ever know that I wished that girl was me.


	3. Can't Fight This Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is "Can't Fight This Feeling" by Reo Speedwagon

Over the next few weeks, I doubled my efforts in finding odd jobs to do for the local shop owners. I had decided to stay in Boulder a while, for reasons that may or may not have had something to do with a beautiful Latina woman who haunted my dreams.

We saw each other a few times a week, and though I did not always approach her, I was getting to know her. I was able to observe what Marcelo told me—she was incredibly smart. She told me she never went to college, but I rarely saw her without a book. The books were not mysteries and romances, either, they were biographies and educational books about architecture, biology, history, archaeology, astronomy, literature, statistics, politics, and sociology.

Her hair, eyes, and skin were beautiful, but she never used any makeup to enhance them. She dressed in classy but plain clothes, and was obedient to her mother without exception. She often sat and folded paper into little origami creatures while she people watched, and the children passing by were the lucky recipients of her creations.

She appreciated the little things. She would stop reading to watch a butterfly dance through the air or a child get excited about a street performance. She also noticed things that I would have never seen, ranging from the silly to the profound. She noticed how the store across the way rearranged the same clothing and accessories in a different way each month and then posted a "New Arrivals" sign in the window. She noticed how one teenage boy brought a different girl to get sushi every Friday night. She noticed how Nancy, the owner of the bookstore next door had a crush on Marcelo and used any excuse she could to visit his side of the building.

For all her powers of observation, though, she did not ever seem to notice how I watched her or how happy I was when I was around her or how much I was coming to love her.

I had my strategy all planned out. Even though women were, for the most part, a mystery to me, I knew that with Rachel I would have to take things slow. Something in her eyes told me that she was being very careful about how she behaved when she was around me. I started with simple things. I greeted her briefly every time I saw her with a warm hello and a smile. When she began to return the gesture easily, I moved onto small talk. Small talk was hard for me, but soon she was commenting on the weather without prompting from me. As our short greetings turned to long, familiar conversations, I began to feel hope. Once, she even approached me on her own to say hi, rather than waiting for me to find her on a bench somewhere. Weeks passed, and to my disappointment, Rachel never gave any indication that she was interested in anything more than friendship. I stayed in the friend-zone, building trust and waiting for my opportunity to tell her my true feelings.

Maria watched our friendship grow, standing in the background with a scowl on her face. More than once, I heard her scolding Rachel in Spanish as the two of them walked away. I finally realized that if I wanted Rachel, I needed to win Maria over as well. I began to nod to her respectfully in greeting, and even practiced my Spanish in a few short conversations with her. She didn't trust me, that was clear, but so far she had not told Rachel to stay away from me, which I took as a good sign.

In November, my plan got cut short, though. In the weeks leading up to that day, Rachel commented a number of times that fewer and fewer entertainers and homeless people walked the streets. When I thought about it, I realized that I had been seeing the number of residents at the homeless shelter steadily decline too. I told her not to worry about it—they had all probably headed south for the winter. She accepted my explanation without argument, but I was not totally sure she agreed.

However, when all the homeless and street performers started showing up again I had to admit that my theory was wrong. Something else was going on. Something weird. All of them had cleaned up, gone sober, detoxed, and found jobs. It was as if the whole lot of them had found religion—and not the normal "go to church on Sundays, what would Jesus do" religion, more like the "joined a cult and plan to take over the world" religion.

The formerly-homeless-now-well-dressed-and-employed converts started inviting me places, but I always refused. I had things to do, namely spending time with Rachel, and Rachel didn't talk to them. Maria made sure of that. When Josef tried to approach her to apologize for the incident months earlier, Maria intercepted his advances and sent him running. I chuckled to myself as I watched him disappear quickly around the corner. My leadership, experience, and background gave me a respected reputation in this place, but Maria was downright scary. Everyone, from the smallest child to the oldest and toughest homeless man on the street, avoided her at all costs.

The next evening when I arrived at the outdoor mall, Rachel immediately rushed up to me. Her voice was off—a bit shaky—and her eyes were scared.

She didn't begin with her regular "Hello" as a greeting, but launched straight into a panicked explanation: "Look at them Rob! Look! Do you see it too? Their eyes. Something is wrong with their eyes. All of their eyes are different."

Their eyes? I motioned for her to wait and turned and walked toward the nearest homeless man I knew. It was AJ. When he turned to look at me, his smile was huge and welcoming.

"Hey Rob! How are you? Isn't the weather just wonderful today? I mean, the sky is blue, the grass is green, the mountains are covered in snow… It's just beautiful here. I love Earth."

I was too shocked to respond. In all the time I had known him, AJ had never said more than 3 words at a time. Now he was blabbering on about the weather and the mountains? I quickly glanced at his eyes and immediately spotted the thing that had Rachel so uptight. His pupils were ringed with silver, a strange metallic looking circle that reflected the nearby street lights. I managed some kind of reply before turning around and rushing back to Rachel. Maria had joined her. The three of us formed a small circle and exchanged worried glances.

"What do you think it is?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's either really good or really bad. AJ was nothing like himself. Maybe it's a new treatment for addictions?"

Maria shook her head, "No. The bebés have it too. And some of the shoppers. I do not trust this. Is bad. We must stay away from them. We must not become like them." She had made her mind up and was determined to follow her gut. Rachel would do whatever Maria said, and I refused to be separated from Rachel, so an awkward alliance was formed.

"I agree. We need to avoid them. We don't want any more of the people we love changed." I said.

Rachel's eyes flicked toward me in surprise, and her expression became unreadable, like two opposite emotions were fighting for control. I watched her in silence. What had I said to make her react like that?

Marcelo called me into his shop at that moment, and with a sigh, I turned to leave. I would figure Rachel out later.

We watched for nearly a week as more and more silver-eyed people filled the crowds of Pearl Street. I had been working for Marcelo doing basic fix-it type work, which gave me a great excuse to keep an eye on Maria and Rachel, who were Marcelo's biggest suppliers. One day after spending hours in Marcelo's back room building shelves, I walked in on Marcelo and Nancy, the owner of the bookstore next door, having a hushed conversation over the counter of Marcelo's display case. I approached them, not trying to be rude, but wondering if they had noticed the silver eyes too. Marcelo saw me approach and immediately stopped talking.

When I got near him, he peered into my eyes for a long moment before turning to Nancy, "See, Rob does not have it. Rob will know what is going on."

Both of their eyes were clear too, so I felt comfortable sharing what I knew. "I don't know what's going on, just that a lot of people are getting funny silver eyes and are having complete personality makeovers."

"Mal de Ojo." Marcelo whispered, his face paling. "The Evil Eye. It takes you over. Kills you. We must leave and protect ourselves."

Hurriedly he reached into his display case and pulled out five red ribbon bracelets. He put one on himself, one on Nancy, and handed the other three to me. "To protect you," he whispered seriously.

I eyed the bracelets skeptically. I highly doubted that some old Argentinian superstition had the answer to this problem. Not wanting to offend, I pulled one of the bracelets over my wrist and pocketed the other two. I knew exactly who he wanted me to give them to.

I turned to leave for the night but paused when Nancy called my name.

"Rob!"

I turned to look at her, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"Can you come take a look at something over in my back room? I know it's not the best time, but for years I've had a door leading to a staircase in my back room, but the staircase leads to nowhere. I've tried banging the walls, and I think there is empty space back there, but I'm not sure. If you have a chance, will you take a look?"

"Sure Nancy, I'll go look right now."

Marcelo spoke up at that point, "That is interesting, Nancy. I have the original blueprints to this building as well as a handwritten record detailing the years just after this place was built. It shows that the building was built in the 1880s and housed a large family. They lived in the upper two floors and worked on the bottom floor, which used to be ground level before paving and repaving made it lower than the street. The women worked as seamstresses on your side and the men had a small mercantile over here, specializing in shoes and furniture. Back then, all the rooms and shops, including the ones upstairs, were connected, so it's very likely that your staircase to nowhere opens into one of the upstairs shops."

Nancy smiled at Marcelo before turning to shrug at me, "Well then, I guess it's not necessary Rob, it was only a curiosity."

I could tell she still wanted to know, so I said "Well, now I'm curious too. Mind if I go take a quick look?"

She smiled and handed me her keys. I exited Marcelo's shop and used Nancy's keys to enter the bookstore. I walked past the shelves of books to get to her back room which was unlocked. I went through the door and found myself in a hallway with four doors. I passed the restroom, storage room, and utility closet before coming to the last door on the left. The door opened easily and revealed a steep and narrow staircase. Curiosity urged me forward and I climbed the stairs quickly. At the top was a door shaped area that was sealed shut, no doorknob in sight. Pulling my knife out of my boot, I slipped it into the cracks around the doorframe and tried to push it open. It took a bit of force, but I managed to get it to swing open. A little experimentation revealed that the door did not need a handle, nor did it have a locking mechanism. After I loosened it up some, it swung both forward and backward, creaking slightly.

Finished with the door, I walked through to see what was behind it. It was an empty hallway. Devoid of other doors and windows, a single light bulb was attached to the ceiling, a string dangling from it. I pulled it and was pleasantly surprised when it filled the hall with light.

With the lighting issue solved, I began to look around for any other entrances. The walls were paneled with wood, circa 1966, so I knew it was possible that more doors opened up into here and were simply covered up. I ran my hands along the panels, feeling around for anything that would indicate a door used to be there. One particularly big knot on the west wall caught my attention, and I pulled it. The panel of wood swung open to reveal another hallway and I gave mental kudos to whoever had designed the door. It was well hidden. I was not so lucky with the lights in this hallway, but with stairs leading both up toward the roof and down toward the ceiling, I was going to investigate anyway.

Leaving the hallway door open so a small amount of light could get through, I went down first. The staircase ended at yet another door, this one with a handle. It opened easily and revealed a small room, void of anything except a rickety old cot. The air was stale, but the room had potential. Someone could live here quite easily. With plans beginning to form in my head, I turned around to head up the stairs. The stairs ended at a blank wall, seemingly without an exit of any kind. The ceiling was low, though, and I reached my hands up, feeling around for a hatch of some kind. Sure enough, a square, wooden ceiling tile moved when I pushed it, giving me entrance into the attic. The attic was extremely dusty, but spacious with hardwood floors—so it probably served as living quarters for someone at some time. I took note of its possibilities and scanned the room. There was some random old furniture—the kind that is made from solid wood and weighs a ton, and a couple of really old, gross rugs. A small amount of light came from behind two filthy skylights, and I spotted a few other tiles just like the one I had just come through. Pulling each of them up in turn, I looked down into the candy shop that was above Marcelo's, the back room of the clothing store that was above Nancy's, and another empty hallway, this time with several clearly outlined doors. I dropped down there and opened the first door, which led to a staircase down, probably ending up at Marcelo's shop. Another door opened into the back of the utility closet in the candy store's back room. The third door opened directly onto the roof of the building. Though I only glanced outside, I did notice that because all of the buildings in this area were built right next to each other, a small jump would get me next door. It was a handy thing to know.

Turning, I retraced my steps, closing all doors behind me, and finally got back into Nancy's bookstore. She was not there, so I assumed she was still talking to Marcelo. I walked that way and entered the jewelry store to find Rachel shrinking into a corner, Nancy with her head in her hands, and Maria and Marcelo speaking in furious but quiet Spanish. I could usually understand Spanish if I paid careful attention, but at the moment I didn't really care. I walked over to Rachel and nodded a hello. She responded in kind. We both watched Maria and Marcelo battle it out, but my mind was on other things. That room, which must be on the same level as this store, was a great find. I was already planning my strategy to convince Nancy to let me stay there rather than at the homeless shelter.

Tired and unwilling to continue to listen to the argument any longer, I returned Nancy's keys, quietly explaining the situation with the stairs and secret room. She shrugged when I asked if I could move in and I smiled in victory. Those plans made, I nodded goodbye to Rachel, and left for the night, taking the bus back to the homeless shelter. After dinner, instead of cards, I retreated to my locker and began packing all my belongings—there weren't that many—into my duffle. It was mostly clothes, a frying pan, an iPod, and a few basic utensils and knives and my carefully concealed Beretta M9. As soon as I was done, I relaxed into my uncomfortable cot and let my mind drift to Rachel.

I was amongst the first ones up the next morning, and grabbing a quick breakfast to go, I thanked the volunteers who had given so much time to help me. When I left, I knew it was for good and I did not look back.

I arrived on Pearl Street shortly after 8 AM. There weren't many shops open yet, but I knew Nancy was an early riser, so I headed toward the bookstore anyway, hopeful that she was already there.

The lights were off and the door was locked. So was Marcelo's, but he didn't usually show up until 10. While I waited, I wandered the mall, buying a few things here and there to furnish what I hoped would be my new apartment. A second blanket (I already had one in my duffle), a few cups and bowls and utensils, and a few non-perishable food items. One of the vendors was nice enough to give me a few crates to stow my purchases in, and I wandered back toward Nancy and Marcelo's, eagerly anticipating having my own space.

I stowed everything near the entrance of her shop but completely out of view of anyone walking past and settled down onto the cold concrete steps to wait. An hour passed. Then two. No sign of Marcelo or Nancy. Or Maria and Rachel, for that matter. It was nearing noon when a young woman who I recognized as one of Nancy's employees, showed up. She gave me a questioning look, her silver eyes reflecting the morning light, before she pulled on the door. It was still locked. She turned to me again, "Where is Nancy? She was supposed to open up the store this morning."

"I don't know." I replied, "I've been waiting to talk to her since 8."

She looked at all my stuff piled nearby, "Moving on?"

"Something like that." I said. She nodded and pulled out her keys. With the door unlocked, she entered and began working her way down the opening checklist. Unsure of what was going on with Nancy and Marcelo, but not liking the feeling that was in my gut, I gathered my things and retreated back up the stairs to the main mall. Taking another flight of stairs up, I entered the clothing store that was above Nancy's shop. Only one girl was working and she was completely absorbed in helping a customer decide between two seemingly identical pink shirts. She hollered a pleasant "I'll be with you in a moment!" over her shoulder and continued to focus on her task. I maneuvered myself toward the back of the store, making sure my luggage was out of sight, and finally made it to the backroom door. Using a paper clip, I quickly picked the lock and slipped inside, shutting the door with a sigh. Getting back up into the attic through the ceiling tile took a bit of maneuvering, but I managed it, and soon all my things were settled in the tiny room in the basement. I slipped out the way I had come and nearly bumped into Maria as I exited the clothing store.

She gave me a fierce look, but by now I understood most of her actions were the result of a carefully constructed façade.

"Why are you in this store?" She demanded, trying to stare me down.

"I'm moving."

"You're moving? Now? To get away from the mal de ojo?"

"Amongst other things." I replied, thinking of how nice it would be to have my own space for a while.

"We should have gone with Marcelo and Nancy. They were the smart ones, leaving this place behind. And now you're moving. Me and my Rachel will leave too. Can't trust anyone with the mal de ojos."

I tried to cover my surprise. Marcelo and Nancy had just up and left? Where had they gone? They hadn't even closed their shops. They just left. Maria seemed to think that they were running from the silver-eyed people. Were they? Did we need to?

"I forgot to give these to you yesterday. They're from Marcelo. He said it would protect you."

Her eyes grew wide when she saw the bracelets, and she quickly clasped one around her wrist. "You must give the other one to Rachel right away." She said, and for the first time, I felt a measure of trust in her tone.

"Where is Rachel?" I asked, suddenly feeling like the situation was more urgent that I had previously realized.

"Parking the car."

"Stay here, don't talk to anyone and don't look at anyone. I'll be back in a minute."

I took off down the street at a run, going toward the cross street that I knew Rachel and Maria usually parked on. I saw her rounding the corner and forced myself to slow to a walk. When I reached her, I began talking immediately.

"Nancy and Marcelo are gone. I think we should leave too. I think that whatever is going on around here is bad, and we should leave."

"We?" Rachel asked, her face wearing an indecipherable expression.

"Yes, we. You, me, and Maria. I'll keep you safe."

"But what about…" She trailed off and then shook her head and changed tactics: "When?"

"There's no time like the present!" I exclaimed, trying to relieve the tension.

"They're watching us." Rachel whispered, her eyes indicating that I should look to my left. I did so, and saw exactly what she meant. Two men in police uniforms were staring at us like they were waiting for us to make a move.

I continued looking around, noticing that a lot of people were looking at us.

"Take this." I thrust the bracelet at her, "Maria is outside Marcelos. Let's go get her and make a run for it."

Fear filled her eyes, but she nodded, slipping the bracelet on as she began to walk quickly toward the shop. When we got there, Maria was glaring at another police officer, muttering Spanish under her breath. Rachel immediately moved closer to her, standing slightly behind her, but with their shoulders still touching.

I got between the officer and the women. "What seems to be the problem, sir?"

The officer was not pleased to see me. "The three of you are needed at the station. I need you to come me and get some things settled."

"No." I declared, "Are we being arrested?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that, sir, I just need you and the other two humans to come with me."

That was never going to happen. Something about the way he said "humans" made the hairs on the back of my neck stick up. I glanced down the street in both directions. There were police cars lining both sides. I could have made it past them on my own, but with Rachel and Maria in tow, we'd get caught for sure. Whatever they wanted us for, I knew it wasn't good. This man had silver eyes. Mal de Ojos.

"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" I asked, maintaining my protective stance in front of the women.

"I'm Seeker Sings with Joy."

What a weird name! I didn't have time to focus on that, though. I had to get the women to safety, so I addressed the officer again.

"Well, Seeker Sings with Joy, I don't think we're interested in going with you right now. Thanks for the offer though.

I gently grasped Maria's arm, who grabbed Rachel's hand, and the three of us slid into the bookstore. Nancy's young employee was sitting on the ground with her back to us, rearranging a display. She heard the door open but I had pulled the three of us behind a tall bookshelf before she saw any of us.

"If you need any help finding things, just let me know!" She said pleasantly, continuing with her work. Through the store window I could see Seeker Sings with Joy talking on his radio. We were definitely not going out the way we came in. I quietly led Maria and Rachel toward the back room, making sure that the girl would not recognize our voices and report us later. Opening the door, I led them into the hallway, up the stairs, through the secret door, and down to my new abode.

Rachel took the whole thing in with wide eyes while Maria turned toward me. I prepared myself for an argument, and was surprised when she simply sounded scared and concerned.

"What is going on?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know. I think they want us to go with them to get silver eyes."

"They have strange names. I've heard them talking to each other. Things about flowers and colors and stories and ice and fire and singing." Rachel added.

"Whoever they are, they're watching us. They have a cop car on both ends of the street. We never would have made it out of here." I said firmly. "Maria, we are going to have to wait until it's safe to leave. Welcome to your temporary new home."

She surveyed the room with the eyes of a woman who had lived in much worse, and wasted no time making up the cot with the blanket and arranging my supplies into crates. Rachel stood in the corner of the room, calm but obviously concerned.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to check on the situation from the roof.

I was gone for about ten minutes before returning to the women.

"There are cops on all sides. We are going to wait in here until they give up. We'll make them believe that we escaped already. When that happens, we are going to need to run for it."

Both women nodded their agreement and the three of us continued to muse about the problem silently. That night I left the women to sleep in the room and settled myself onto the stairs using my coat for a blanket. Sleeping on wooden stairs was uncomfortable but I had slept on worse. I debated strategy on how to get us out of here and decided that I could probably sneak out for supplies on occasion. I would not move Rachel and Maria until I knew it was safe.

Four and a half days later, things were much worse than I had anticipated. I had been unable to sneak out for supplies—the building was surrounded. The number of uniformed policemen, or Seekers, had finally diminished, but so had Maria's health. She was completely bedridden and as weak as a child. I had basic first aide training, but there was nothing I could do with our limited resources. Our food was nearly gone, and though we snuck down to the restroom in the back of the bookstore for water and other necessities, our living situation was just making things worse. Something had to happen. Something had to happen soon. I had been using the roof as my lookout and I was fairly certain that I could get us all down the fire escape on the back of the building, assuming the ancient structure could handle our weight. We could steal a car in the alley and make a quick getaway. At least, that's what I was hoping for.

I returned to the room to announce my decision. I anticipated their reaction. Rachel would take the news in silence, but determination. Maria would give it some thought before approving of my strategy. Ever since the red bracelets, Maria had softened her responses to me. I hoped Marcelo, wherever he was, knew just how much he did for me when he gave me those. I entered the room to find Rachel laying strips of a cool, wet t-shirt over Maria's forehead. For a moment, I just watched her.

In the last four days, I had learned a lot about Rachel. She was incredibly patient, putting up with all of Maria's picky demands. She tried to see the positive in every bad circumstance. Even when she didn't know what to do or what to say, she pressed on, never giving up no matter how scared or tired she was. Even after not showering for 4 days and wearing the same jeans and one of my old shirts (had I thought about it beforehand, I would have realized that asking her to wear my clothes was a bad, distracting idea) she was still beautiful. She spoke with me more freely now, her eyes compassionate and caring, and my hope rekindled—maybe this horrible situation would turn out to be the perfect way for me to show her how much I loved her.

Rachel was still patting Maria's face with the cool cloth, but she was looking at me expectantly. She knew me well enough to know that I had something to say.

"I think it's time to make a run for it. It won't be easy. We're going to have to get up onto the roof and then down the fire escape. As much as I don't want to, I think we're going to have to steal a car…" I paused when Rachel reached into her purse and pulled out her keys.

"I parked at the end of the block around on the alley side, as long as they haven't towed it, we should be fine, right?"

I smiled. "Perfect, so we have our getaway vehicle. Then I propose we drive as far away from here as possible. Maybe south to New Mexico." I was not normally such a drastic person, but somehow I knew that this situation required a serious response.

Rachel solemnly nodded her agreement, and Maria managed to nod weakly as well. I sighed; this was not going to be easy.

"Just bring your purse and what's left of the food." I told Rachel as I approached Maria. "I'm going to carry you until we get to the point where you have to walk on your own. Don't argue, you're too weak to make it the whole way, so I'm carrying you for half, okay?"

Maria's eyes were stony, but she made no comment. She knew just as well as I did that she was too weak to climb the stairs. I reached into my duffle for my gun. My knife was already in my boot and everything else was replaceable. I attached its holster to my belt and then reached for Maria, pulling her and the blankets up. Rachel led the way up the stairs and pushed open the ceiling tile. It took effort from all three of us to get Maria into the attic. We moved to the tile that led to the hallway that led to the roof and Rachel dropped down first. I eased Maria into her waiting arms and jumped down quickly to relieve her of the load. Rachel opened the door and stepped out into the moonlight. I followed, and the two of us carefully made our way toward the back of the building where the fire escape was.

I sensed it before it actually happened. A spotlight lit up the night sky, temporarily blinding me. They knew we were here. I had a split second to make a decision.

Turning, I started to run back toward the door. Rachel followed me, scared and confused but not asking questions. I set Maria down on her feet and pulled myself up into the attic. I reached for her arms and pulled her up and then Rachel. I replaced the tile, Sweeping Maria into my arms again, I hurried toward the tile that led to the stairs. Rachel scooted ahead of me and steadied Maria as I hopped down, and then the three of us raced toward our little hideout. I set Maria on the bed and immediately turned to go back up the stairs.

"Rachel, you have to stay here. I'm going for help. I'm going to get help and bring them back here and take you to safety. I promise, I'll see you soon." My plan was already formed in my head. I would move the furniture in the attic to cover the floor tile—Rachel and Maria would not be able to get out that way, but it might keep them hidden for a little longer. Give me more time to orchestrate a plan to get them out of here. I laid my Beretta on the crate next to the bed knowing that Rachel knew how to use it if necessary, not that she ever would. I took one more look at Rachel to rememorize her face, before pulling her into a quick hug that I refused to let myself get lost in. She looked so lost and confused. I tore my eyes away from her face and left the small room, whispering a hoarse, "I'm sorry," over my shoulder and slamming the door behind me.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly every culture in the world has its own version of "the evil eye" and some Middle Eastern and South American cultures take it extremely seriously. For the most part, it is believed that blue eyes keep you safe, and that a blue talisman or amulet will do the same. In Chile/Argentina though, it is believed that a red ribbon is the thing that can keep you from harm, and they regularly tie red ribbons on babies, the sick, and the elderly. At least that's what I read online :) Someone can correct me if they know different.


	4. You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" from the Toby Keith song

The door shut in my face, knocking me out of my stupor.

"Rob!"

I wrenched the door open and followed after him as he left the tiny room. Left Mama. Left me.

I caught up to him on the stairs and grabbed his coat, nearly incoherent in my pleas. "You can't leave me here! You can't leave us here! Please don't go!" I collapsed on the steps, my legs no longer able to hold me up as I clutched his coat, sobbing.

I felt him kneel down beside me and then his arms went around me. His sturdy support only made me cry harder.

Somewhere inside the rational part of my brain I realized that before today, Rob and I had only ever touched each other once—our first handshake. Now he was holding me gently as I cried. The emotional part of me clung to him, pulling him closer, needing the protection he provided and the comfort that he offered. He was stroking my hair softly and I was just weeping, unable to process what was happening.

Eventually though, his voice got through. That voice that could intensify to intimidate any tough guy on the streets was now focused on me, softly saying my name.

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel, shhhh, don't cry." He cupped my face and brought it up so he could look in my eyes, "I'll be back. I swear I'll be back. I'm not leaving you. I'm just going to find some answers and help so I can get you out of here. I could never leave you. Not ever."

I heard his words but didn't register their meaning. Rather, I was suddenly aware of just how close our faces were. Rob broke eye contact and lowered his gaze to the rest of my face. His lips parted slightly, and without consciously deciding to, I reached forward and pressed my lips lightly onto his. I quickly pulled back a centimeter, shocked and mortified. What in the world was I thinking? He was taken. He loved someone else. This was going to ruin everything.

My brain was screaming at me to stop, but my lips found his again without trying, this time with much more urgency. Even as a tiny part of my brain realized that it was the stupidest thing I had ever done, my body was memorizing the way it felt to be wrapped in his arms, safe from the world and all the scary things in it. My carefully buried attraction bubbled to the surface, and I found myself pouring every ounce of restrained feeling into our embrace.

For one perfect moment, I felt complete.

My internal contentment was interrupted when I felt him pulling away. Relief, loss, and embarrassment overcame me as the haze of my blurred thoughts cleared and rational thinking once again took control. I had just made the worst mistake of my life. Our friendship would never be the same after this. I hated myself for ruining things.

Taking each of my hands in his own, he untangled us and pulled me away from him, setting me down a few feet away and putting his hands on my shoulders. I did not allow myself to look at his face. Instead, I stared at the floor, my face hot and wet with mortification and tears.

He took a deep, shaky breath, removing his hands from my shoulders and whispered, "I'm sorry, I... I just..."

 _He_  was sorry?  _I_  was the one that kissed  _him_. He must be sorry because he did not feel the same way. Of course he didn't. He loved that other girl, the one who I pictured as blonde and curvy with blue eyes. My suspicions from our conversation two weeks ago resurfaced and I began to put the pieces together. He had said didn't want us to lose any more people that he loved. He must have already lost someone he loved. I re-imagined the blonde bombshell with silver eyes. That must be it. He must have lost her. That was why he was with us and not her. She was already gone.

I would never be able to compete with her, even if she had silver eyes and I didn't. I was a stupid woman for kissing him while knowing that he did not care for me in that way. And he was stupid for trying to apologize. I did not want his pity and I certainly did not want him to kiss me and imagine that I was her instead. One of his hands reached toward my wet cheek, but I recoiled from his touch. His postured stiffened at my reaction, and without another word, he silently climbed up the steps to the attic hatch. Just before I heard him crack it open, he whispered something so softly that I almost didn't hear it.

"Stay safe."

And then he was gone and I was left alone in the stairwell, my sobs returning full force.

I could hear Rob moving furniture around in the attic, and then I heard faint crashes and bangs. I prayed, desperately begging God to save Rob and bring him back to us. When things got quiet, I took a deep breath and returned to Mama and tried not to think about Rob.

Time in the little room passed slowly. I spent my time caring for Mama and taking short naps on the floor. I prepared some crackers and beef jerky to eat. Mama refused it. I nibbled a little bit, not because I wanted to eat but because I knew that if I didn't, I would not be strong enough to help Rob get Mama out of here.

It felt like every minute lasted for hours. Where was Rob? Had he been captured or killed? Had he decided to go off on his own and leave us to fend for ourselves? After the disastrous kiss, I would understand if he wanted us to go our own ways.

No. I shook that thought out of my head. I may have ruined our friendship with that kiss, but Rob was a good man. As long as he was alive, he would not abandon us.

I lost track of days and nights. With no window in the little room, it was impossible to tell, and I was not going to risk climbing onto the roof to see how things were going. I just sat at Mama's side, trying to get her to drink water and eat.

I almost missed it when it happened. I was lost in thought, alternately hating myself for kissing Rob and then wishing it would happen again, so I didn't hear the footsteps until they were very near the door. I stiffened and looked around for a weapon. The gun was under the mattress, but even the thought of touching it made me shudder. I looked for something else. The frying pan was on the floor right next to me. It was cast iron. If I could swing it hard enough, I might be able to hold off our attacker.

My battle strategy was interrupted when a slim device was pushed under the door. It was a cell phone. After a moment there was a knock and then a male voice came through the door, soft and gentle: "Rachel, Maria. My name is Burns. Watch the video that I just gave you. Rob sent me here to take you to safety."

I reached over and grabbed the cell phone, placing it on the floor in front of me. Keeping one hand holding the frying pan, I pulled the headphones out of Rob's iPod and put them into the phone. I pressed play, and held the phone close, my eyes glued to the small screen. The first thing I saw was Rob, staring into the camera, and I had to choke back a sob.

"Hi Rachel and Maria. I know I kinda left you in the lurch but it was actually a good thing. First things first, I'm still human." Whoever was holding the camera zoomed in on his face to reveal his beautiful brown eyes, "I found other humans and they are going to help me rescue you. The thing is, this group of humans that I found, well, they've got a spy, sorta. His name is Burns and he is one of them, but he's gone native, I mean, he does everything he can to rescue humans. He saved my life and the lives of all the humans here. You can trust him." Rob stopped and motioned for someone else to join him. A tall redhead stepped into the frame, a warm smile on his face.

"So this is Burns, and he is a part of this group of humans and I need you to trust him and go with him because he can get you out of there. The silver-eyed people, they're called Souls by the way, trust him because he is one of them, but he is really on our side." The video zoomed in on the redhead's silver eyes and then moved over to a young woman and a man around my age sitting on a sofa, "And this is Nate and this is Jess. They both live here too. So does Eric; he's the one who is taping. Say Hi Eric." Whoever Eric was mumbled "Hi" from behind the camera and Rob went back to talking, "Anyway, Nate and Burns are best friends and we just found Jess yesterday, so she's pretty new. Eric has been here for a while. They all live in Burns' basement and Burns brings them food and things to survive." A German Shepherd jumped into the frame, and onto the lap of the young woman, causing everyone to laugh. "Oh, and how could I forget Cole, he is Jess's dog and he lives here too. So please, go with Burns, trust him, he'll keep you safe and bring you back here."

Just as I finished the video, the voice on the other side of the door, presumably this Burns guy, started talking again. "The people in the store think I'm in the bathroom, I can't stay up here forever. Either come with me now or I'll have to bring Rob back tomorrow. He's willing to risk his life to save yours, but are you willing to put him in that position? Watch the video. I can get you out of here."

Rob said I could trust this man, and I knew that if I didn't, Mama and I would die. Mama would be angry about it though. I debated until I heard a sigh and footsteps on the other side of the door. He was leaving! I clutched the frying pan in my hand, hiding it behind my back, and opened the door a few inches, peeking out. It was too dark to see details, but the man had the same build and voice as in the video. I took a chance.

"You are a friend of Rob's?"

"Yes. Are you Rachel?"

I nodded. "And you are…" I hesitated, swallowing, "One of them? With silver eyes?"

"Yes."

"You will take us to him?" I glanced back at Mama who was asleep on the cot. Going with him or staying both had risks. But my Mama was sick, and even though I was not allowed to love Rob, I still trusted him.

The tall man said "Yes," and began to approach the door. I panicked, retreating toward the cot, the frying pan raised and ready to strike. He pushed the door open and took in the details of the room in one glance. His silver eyes communicated his pity and desire to help, but I was still too scared of him to move. He started toward me slowly and carefully moved to pull the frying pan from my hands. His other hand rested on my shoulder in a non-threatening way.

"Everything is going to be alright. I'm going to get you out of here." He said quietly.

It was just too much. The silver eyes and the kiss and Mama's illness and this kind, tall man being so nice to me. I just couldn't handle it. I began to cry, and when I felt Burns' arms around me, I just gave up trying to be brave altogether and allowed myself to sob into his shoulder. This embrace was completely different than the one I had shared with Rob, it was more brotherly, and his soothing reassurances that everything was going to be all right eventually calmed me down. I pulled away from his arms, feeling a little embarrassed now that I had calmed down. I didn't even know Burns!

"Sorry. I just…" What could I say to explain this? Nothing. So I just left it at, "Sorry."

I refocused my attention and got down to business.

"Mama is not going to like this."

"Being rescued?" Burns asked in surprise.

"No, being rescued by  _you_." I sighed. "She's so sick though, I don't think she would have lasted much longer down here."

"Neither of you would have." He said gently. His tone turned business like when he said, "I have some medication that is going to help Maria. Rob warned us that she was ill, so I knew to come prepared?" He made it sound like a request for permission, so I nodded my assent and stood off to the side to watch him work. He pulled off a backpack and set it on the ground, kneeling beside Mama. He quickly opened a strange looking first aide kit, and after a moment's hesitation, selected a spray bottle. He pumped a puff right in front of Mama's face and then selected a small paper-looking square and placed it on her tongue. That finished, he stepped to the side, indicating that I could take over now. I moved closer to her and reached for her hand, but Mama woke up in a hurry. She sat up quickly, more quickly than I had ever seen her move, and knocked me down behind her. She reached for my discarded frying pan and moved to attack Burns, furiously asking him who he was.

Mama frightened me when she was like this, and I knew that speaking up would be a mistake that would just make her more angry, so I held my tongue and hoped that Burns could explain the situation. I gave Burns a look that indicated that he needed to start explaining himself, and he did so, from the hallway.

"Maria, Rob sent me here to help you. He knew that you were stuck here and sick so he sent me to come get you out of here. The phone," he pointed to the cell that was still on the floor, "has a video that explains everything. I'm not trying to hurt you; I'm trying to help you. But I don't have time to sit here and negotiate with you because the folks downstairs think I'm in the bathroom and pretty soon they are going to get concerned, or someone else is going to need to go and they'll find out that I'm not there anymore."

He glanced at his watch while Mama hissed at him, "We're not going anywhere with you!"

"Mama!" I exclaimed, and then stopped. I knew better than to argue with Mama when she was like this.

"I've kept us alive this long and I'll continue to do so!" She shushed me, and then she turned back to Burns, her tone final, "You can leave."

"What am I going to tell Rob?" He asked, apparently not wiling to give up yet.

"He's probably one of you by now, so tell him anything you want!" Mama shot back at him, and with that, she got up to shut the door in his face. I still lay in my awkward position on the cot, tears of misery running down my face. Mama had just pushed our only hope for survival out the door. It was a mistake, and one that I could not do anything about.

I heard him climb the stairs and open the secret door, and with that, our tall, freckled, red-headed, silver-eyed, wannabe-savior left.

I gave into my tears and wept into the pillow while Mama guarded the door like a bulldog. When she was certain he was gone, she sat on the floor—which was a surprise in and of itself, usually she complained that her joints ached when she did that—and started going through Burns' backpack. She pulled out a scarf and an ugly hat, two wrapped caramel apples, and the first aide kit. She also found two pairs of sunglasses. Grabbing the cell phone, she sat down to watch the video and shook her head, tsking every time Rob spoke.

"They are trying to trick us. We must get out of here soon." She decided. "but first we eat to get our strength and sleep, that way we can escape."

With that, she opened our final can of tuna and dug in with the rest of the crackers, offering me half. I refused. I was not hungry. After the tuna, she bit into the huge caramel apple, and once finished with that, took my place on the cot and pulled the blankets over herself.

"Sleep." She instructed. I obediently lay down on the floor and closed my eyes, knowing there was no way I would sleep after what happened. Time passed, I'm not sure how much, when a buzzing beside me interrupted my thoughts. The cell phone was ringing.

I grabbed it and checked the caller ID. It said "Home." Did that mean Burns' home? Curiously, I tapped the answer button and put the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?"

Someone exhaled on the other side, and then I heard a familiar voice whisper my name.

"Rob! Oh, I'm so sorry about Mama, she chased Burns away. She's planning our escape for later this afternoon. There were hats and sunglasses in Burns' backpack so she thinks we'll be able to leave through the bookstore unnoticed." I blabbed on, trying desperately to keep the memory of what happened when he left buried where it belonged.

"Rachel, calm down. Is Maria feeling better? Do you really think you'll be able to leave the bookstore unnoticed?"

I took a deep breath, "Maybe? I don't know. I mean, Mama looks like she's feeling fine but it depends on who is down there. Someone might recognize us, but if we're careful, I think we could get out of here."

"Okay." Rob said, his voice all business, "what you need to know about these Souls is that they are all very calm and trusting. If you are confident and unhurried, they probably won't give you a second look. The Seekers think that the three people who were hiding in there were me, Nate, and Burns, so they aren't watching the building any more. If you keep calm, you might be able to get to 15th street. We could pick you up there."

"Do you really think that would work?"

Rob didn't hesitate at all, "Yes, I think it would work. I think it's your best chance. Play along with Maria's plan, but when you leave, text us at the number labeled "Nate." When you see an old green truck, we'll be inside it. You just have to make it to the truck without being noticed. I promise I'll get you out of there."

His confidence reassured me. "Okay. I'll text you when we leave."

"Good. I'll be there to pick you up."

After he said that, awkward silence flooded the connection. I debated telling him to forget about the kiss. It would be easier over the phone than in person.

"Rob, I'm so sorry about… what happened." I knew he knew what I meant.

"Don't worry about it. We can just forget it ever happened."

Relief flooded through me and I took a shaky breath. "Thank you." I said, meaning it with every fiber of my being. Rob was willing to pretend that I had never kissed him or made our friendship awkward. He was giving me a do-over. Maybe he even thought I had been caught up in the moment and didn't mean it. Whatever he thought, I was relieved that my stupidity hadn't ruined things between us.

His voice filled the phone once more, "Text me when you leave. I'll be waiting for you."

My "Okay" was followed by a click. Rob was coming back. Rob was going to save us. Mama was never going to forgive me for deceiving her, but in my heart, I knew that this was what we needed to do.

A few hours later Mama woke up from her nap and she quickly got to work. She pulled the ugly hat over her hair and passed me the scarf which I wrapped around my hair. Both of us pulled on sunglasses and I grabbed my purse, slipping Rob's iPod and Beretta and the first aide kit into it discretely. Shielding Burns' phone behind my body, I sent off a quick text to Nate's number and then slipped the phone into my jean pocket. Mama debated bringing the blankets, but I told her they would just draw attention to us. Together we surveyed the room one last time and then turned our backs on it, walking up the stairs without looking back. Slipping through the secret door and down the stairs to the back of the bookstore was nerve-wracking, but I remembered that Rob had said it was important to keep calm, so I kept my breathing even. After a moment's hesitation, we pushed the door from the back room open and slipped into the bookstore, closing it silently behind us. Carefully staying behind shelves that blocked the view from the cash register, we worked our way to the front of the store and then out the door, keeping our faces turned away from the young woman who was working. Once on the street, I breathed a sigh of relief and Mama tensed up. With my arm hooked through hers, I casually started walking toward 15th street.

"Maybe our car is still there. We should check." I said.

Mama nodded and followed me without a fuss. I was looking for the truck as discretely as possible, and when we were about halfway to the cross street, I spotted them. In an old green truck, Rob was looking toward us, his eyes hidden by sunglasses. I altered my course a bit and led Mama toward the truck, but she figured out what was happening and started to fight me. Rob jumped out of the truck and ran up to us. Pulling his sunglasses off, he hissed in Mama's ear.

"Maria, look at me, I am still human, and if you want to stay human, you need to trust me now and come without a scene."

Mama shook her head furiously. Rob sighed and put his hand on my shoulder, pushing me toward the truck.

"We're right behind you, Rachel, get into the back."

I didn't see what he did to Mama, but by the time I was settled in the backseat, he had lifted her into the front seat, her body limp and unconscious. He scooted in beside me and squeezed my hand gently, wordlessly telling me that everything was going to be alright.

Burns was just about to drive off when someone tapped on his window. I shrunk into the corner of the back seat and turned my face away from her. Rob looked straight ahead, his sunglasses covering his eyes. Burns was the calmest. He casually rolled down his window and greeted the lady as if it was a delight to be interrupted by her.

"Hi, I just saw that your friend needed help to the car. I'm a Healer and I wanted to offer my services," the woman said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but Burns took care of it quickly.

"Oh, thank you, that's so kind, but she's just tired. She gets like this sometimes. She has had it checked out. I appreciate you taking the time to stop though."

"You're welcome." Said the silver-eyed woman, as if she had really wanted to help.

Burns rolled up the window and put the car in drive. As soon as we were clear of the mall, Rob and I sighed in relief at the same time. Silent tears were running down my face and Rob was jubilant, as if he had just won a game. I pulled my knees up under me and tried to hold myself together while Rob and Burns told me about the aliens called Souls and their adventure in the mountains. It all sounded too fantastical to be real.

We arrived at Burns' house about fifteen minutes later, and Burns lifted Mama out of the seat and took her to one of the bedrooms. A tiny young woman with honey-brown hair and clear green eyes greeted us at the door, and without prompting, she gave me a big hug.

"Rob has told me so much about you. I'm Jess. Would you like a bath or dinner first?" She asked.

I could feel the weight of the world slipping off my shoulders. We were safe.

"A bath sounds like a dream." I whispered, meeting Jess's eyes hesitantly. Jess gave me a knowing smile and pulled me toward the bedroom that Burns had put Mama in. She shut the door—Mama was still asleep on the bed, though someone had covered her with a blanket—and then led me into the large master bathroom. A huge tub was next to the shower, and I could already imagine the warm water soothing my tense muscles. Jess turned on the water and then pulled some towels out of the cupboard. She added a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to the pile.

"I'll wash your underthings while you take your bath. Burns doesn't have any female clothes in this house, so we'll have to get you some soon. Also, I'm sorry, but there isn't a thing here that even resembles bubble bath, so I'm afraid you'll just have to manage with a bar of soap." She held it out to me, "Hope that's okay."

"It's wonderful." I assured her.

Pulling the shower curtain around the bathtub, she said, "You just let me know when you're in and I can grab your clothes. Then I'll come back and we can have a nice chat. I haven't spoken to another human woman in months and I've already decided that we are going to be friends."

She was spunky. I liked it. I smiled at her and nodded my acceptance. "I'd like that."

Ten minutes later, I was soaking in a warm bath, luxuriating in the clean water. Jess had put my clothes into the wash and returned to the bathroom, pulling up a chair just outside the curtain and positioning it so she could see my face.

"So, you've had a bit of an adventure I hear." Jess prompted, and I hesitated before replying. I usually did not trust people so quickly, but given the circumstances, maybe I should reevaluate. Jess seemed very nice.

"Yes. Rob got us into the secret room behind the bookstore before the…" I paused as I recalled the correct word, "before the Seekers could get us. When he left, I…" I trailed off as tears poured down my face. Jess gave me a compassionate look. "I'm sorry. Lately it seems like all I do is cry."

"You love him." There was no hint of a question in her statement. She had known me for twenty minutes and already knew my deepest secret.

"I'm trying not to!" I sniffed, bringing my hands up to cover my face.

Speaking through my hands, I explained. "Marcelo told me that he met a girl. I think Rob loves her. Or he did love her, before all this. I think that she, whoever she was, got turned before he could save her. And then I kissed him when he left and he started to apologize because he must still have feelings for her and my kiss was a betrayal of their love. I know he doesn't feel that way about me. I didn't mean to kiss him, it just happened! And then he said we could forget it ever happened, and I hope we can. Rob is my best friend."

Jess looked puzzled for a second, "What was her name? The name of the other girl?"

I shrugged, "Does it matter? It's obviously not me."

Jess sat in silence for a moment.

"You know what I think?" She said, not waiting for a reply, "I think that there never was any other girl. I think that Rob loves you. You're all he's talked about since he got here."

I couldn't help the unladylike snort that escaped as I scoffed her words. Jess was much too young to understand. "I seriously doubt that. Rob looks at me as a friend. Only a friend."

Jess raised an eyebrow in disbelief but did not argue. "Let's just wait and see. I'm sure that Rob will declare his undying love for you any day now." She winked.

I rolled my eyes at her, "That will never happen. Please, don't tell him that I told you about the kiss or any of it. I just want to get past this and try to forget that it ever happened. If we're going to be living together, I need to get my emotions under control."

Jess nodded in agreement, but apparently couldn't stop herself from adding, "You'll see. That man loves you."

I just sighed, rolled my eyes again, and sunk deeper into the water.

Everything in my life had changed in the last few weeks, but sitting here and talking to Jess, even if she didn't agree with me, made me realize that all was not lost. I still had Mama, as hard-headed as she may be, and I had a new friend in Jess to confide in. Burns seemed like a really great guy, and Rob would continue to be my friend. Life was nothing like I imagined it would ever be, but as I let the warm water relax my muscles, I decided that I was going to embrace this new life and the friends it provided for me. I could be happy here. I was sure of it.


End file.
